Travelling with bikes (packing and other considerations)

[johnny]

Well after the third person asked me how I packed my bike and who I flew with, I figure this may be worth punching out a thread over......well that's what they suggested anyway. All we need to do now is expect that people will actually use the search function.................. :rolleyes:

I travelled to Korea, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany. I had to pack and repack my bike several times. Hope these few tips will help those undertaking similar experiences, which seems to be quite a few, i.e. Cave Dweller, Ajay, danv, ASSMOSIS, etc.

I flew Asiana airways and had a friend set it up for me and gave me an extra 10kg luggage weight so that was sorted. From what I could gather, travelling with bikes was pretty common. So I'd suggest you call the carrier you take and ask them what arrangements they have for bikes.

In Europe I travelled Ryan air and Sterling airways (they are two budget carriers like virgin etc). They were both simply an extra 17 and 19 Euros respectively to take a bike on board. Be aware that most budget airways fly in and out of the NON-MAJOR airports so they have lower overheads. This means that you will have to 1) investigate/arrange transport to your final destination, keeping in mind your bulky luggage 2) Budget for the the extra costs incurred by transit from the airport. Most secondary airports will have a bus service or train service. Also be prepared for any airline to ask to inspect your bike box. They will be concerned that it is either 1) not actually a bike 2) that there is more than just a bike and that you may be trying to circumvent their weight restrictions. Therefore it is a good idea to carry some extra tape with you to reclose the box after the inspection. If they even have tape you can borrow it is unlikely that it will be they type of tape and amount you require. I suggest using nothing less than gaff or cloth tape.

I also travelled on train with SCNF (French rail). I made the mistake of not checking when I booked my ticket and it turned out to be a "hand luggage" only train. Luckily enough we were already rolling when they found me in the aisle with my box and I was put into a room by myself......after being lectured to in French!

Here are the pics of me packing my bike.

Take the wheels off. Take the rotors off them and make a cardboard envelope to store them in. Put conduit or something in between the forks and the dropouts to stop them from getting crushed. Take out handle bars, twist stem onto same axis as the forks. Take the brake callipers off to stop them from being snapped off. Take out cranks and derailleur if applicable. Wrap fuck out of it with bubble wrap. Put shinnies/clothes etc. around it. Apparently you can by some plastic plugs/things for your hubs, This is a good Idea as my hubs were always poking out through the box (even with a few extra layers of cardboard) and once even poked through the bubble wrap and scratched fuck out of my downtube. Get a bike box, cut to size, fill with bike and whatever packing you can. It's a good idea to use a whole heap of extra bubble wrap as packing if you can. this will assist you in repacking your bike for multiple stops or simply when you are coming home. Also don't forget to let a good deal of air out of the tyres as they will expand and may explode in the lower air pressure of cargo holds.

Be sure to take the appropriate tools with you, I also had to go hunt down some grease to put on my BB/crank interface as they were creaking like hell. I took: Giant multi tool (even though I had a quick link in my chain, this tool also had a chain breaker incase needed), crank puller, small shifting spanner, tyre leavers and pump. Obviously it depends on how often the bike will be broken down and rebuilt as to what tools you take. Also be prepared to do running repairs on your box! DO NOT TAKE YOUR TOOLS IN YOUR CARRY ON LUGGAGE and I'd say that would be the same for bike parts such as cranks and rotors. the airlines are pretty strict on what can be taken onboard/used as a weapon thanks to our mate Osama. Apparently there are bike bags etc out there. Whatever you do, remember that luggage handlers are rough and don't give a fuck!

When coming back to Australia be sure to clean your bike with attention to detail. You WILL be checked by customs/quarantine! They are particularly anal about bringing any dirt into the country. Clean your tyres to the point that they are SPOTLESS. I did this with mine and they were very pleased and happy with the effort I took that they let me pass straight through without checking my other declarables!

One more thing, GET TRAVEL INSURANCE if you intend on doing ANY riding! Fuck being stuck in downtown Tashkent with a busted spleen and broken leg with little money and no consular help!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y292/Johnnylovegod/travel.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y292/Johnnylovegod/travel2.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y292/Johnnylovegod/travel7.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y292/Johnnylovegod/travel9.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y292/Johnnylovegod/travel10.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y292/Johnnylovegod/travel12.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y292/Johnnylovegod/travel13.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y292/Johnnylovegod/travel16.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y292/Johnnylovegod/travel15.jpg

Happy travels! :)

PS. If this thread can be deemed useful enough, maybe it could be made into a sticky for others to add any useful advice they have.

[Grip]

What's that, Toto? You've decided on one last ride before you leave!

[bradh]

got bubble wrap? :eek:

[bradh]

What's that, Toto? You've decided on one last ride before you leave!
haha... i just got it. very funny. :D

[Binaural]

That is a really, really helpful post. I travel a _lot_ O/S and have never taken my bike since I was worried about the hassles about getting it on and off airplanes etc.

I reckon using rectangular slabs of dense foam (like old school BMX handlebar pads) and zip ties or velcro straps would be quicker to put together and pull apart, which is always handy if you are late to the airport (I always am).

How did you go riding around with that box on your back btw? Or did you discard them at the airport and go get new ones at the local bikeshops? I've found travelling in Australia with a bike is severely complicated by the fact you need a box to travel in coaches and so forth. I reckon toting that box around while you are riding around looking for a jugendherbergen etc to stay in would be a huge hassle. Or did you just get taxis to a place to stay and then dump it in your room?

PS Know what you mean about Ryanair flights - went Dublin-->Belgium and landed at "Brussels Charleroi". Turns out Charleroi is NOT in Brussels, it's a little city 80km to the south. Nearby-ish train station only had timetables in Flemish and French, nobody I asked spoke English. Lucky I have a Belgian cousin or I would have been in the shit :D

[Pete J]

In Europe, Lufthansa will let you take your bike unboxed if you so wish.
Some other airlines have the same policy as well, such as German Wings 4U.

However, speaking from a ramp workers perspective, it isn't really ideal if you value your bike!! Not every ramp worker cares for your bike as much as i do! And cargo/baggage does go through alot inside the hold too, have seen many a broken item when opening up a plane.
The moral is, box up your bike in as good a box as you can find and then pack/tape the hell out of it! Johnny's example is a very good one, he knows what he is doing.

Even managed to drop a box of wine bottles by accident one day (it was on top of the pile of luggage for some reason :confused: ). Imagine about 10 wine soaked bags and one very messy box!!!
:o

[Binaural]

However, speaking from a ramp workers perspective, it isn't really ideal if you value your bike!! Not every ramp worker cares for your bike as much as i do! And cargo/baggage does go through alot inside the hold too, have seen many a broken item when opening up a plane.
The moral is, box up your bike in as good a box as you can find and then pack/tape the hell out of it! Johnny's example is a very good one, he knows what he is doing.


When I was backpacking in Malaysia, I caught a flight from a little regional airport outside Kuala Lumpur called Jaya Petaling, very small and low security and just a little terminal building. As I walked into the departure lounge I paused next to a window and looked out... and saw my backpack go flying off a 2m loading dock into the bottom of a wire trailer to be taken off and loaded into the aircraft. Bounced about 2 feet if I recall correctly. Nothing smashed because I'd packed veeerrryyy carefully :cool:

[cheese]

got bubble wrap? :eek:

Looks like a tramp bike :p.

In Europe I travelled Ryan air
With a name like that its gotta be quality! :D

Did your wheels go fine just sitting in the box with nothing else protecting them? Id'e be a bit scared of snapped spokes and whatnot with the way luggage handlers sometime well, handle luggage.

[fat_tyre_nick]

omg that would be so sweet going to all those places, i think its worth a sticky or something. ADMINS!!!

[johnny]

How did you go riding around with that box on your back btw? Or did you discard them at the airport and go get new ones at the local bikeshops? I've found travelling in Australia with a bike is severely complicated by the fact you need a box to travel in coaches and so forth. I reckon toting that box around while you are riding around looking for a jugendherbergen etc to stay in would be a huge hassle. Or did you just get taxis to a place to stay and then dump it in your room?

Not really an issue. The trip was pretty tightly planned. Left the box in Sweden, where I was picked up at the airport. Had my own car (truck) all throughout the Baltic and had hotels booked in advance. Stayed with Nicho/his dad/his friends in France and when I had to walk, catch trains, find busses etc. I just put my bags on my back and my front, held the bike/box over and balanced it on my head and walked! Where there's a will there's a way ;)


Did your wheels go fine just sitting in the box with nothing else protecting them? Id'e be a bit scared of snapped spokes and whatnot with the way luggage handlers sometime well, handle luggage.
Yeah this did concern me a bit and on the legs with budget airlines I did pad them with bubble wrap. But I fugured if something was going to hit with enough force to bust tight spokes, then better it break the spokes than something else. At that point you go to the carrier with your ticket, your pics of what it was like before the flight that you took on your digital camera and your busted stuff and raise hell. But all was fine with me.

[W2ttsy]

well ive been travelling several times interstate, and virgin has done a much better job than jetstar.

when i went to eildon by my self, i discarded my box at the skybus depot at spencer st. which is well and good because jetstar managed to put a 2 foot gash in the side of it. glad my bike/parts didnt fall out. skybus racks fit bike boxes nicely, but they wont take bikes outside of boxes.
also, if you want to ride away from the depot (like i did) you will need a pump. no gas stations in melb CBD near the trainstation.

with triple clamp forks, its best to just leave them attached to the frame and stick the whole bike into the box that way. well thats what i found works for me. although 888s are a bit tall for jetstar bike boxes.. :mad:

jetstars boxes offer the widest space, and you have room for either 2 frames, or frame and wheelset either side. plenty of room. :)

if you have hydro lines, make sure they arent going to get kinked when you pack the box. last thing you want is a busted line and dot4 all over your frame/fork... :eek:

i also like to pack my tools and pedals, skewers, and the like in a zip seal baggie in my stored luggage, that way if you box gets a new hand hole put into it, your precious stuff wont fall out mid flight.

thats all i can think of at present.

oh yeh. dont fly jetstar. not only can they not read scales properly (stupid bitch tried to round it up from 13kgs to 15kg!), but at $75 to send my bike to melbourne, its cheaper for freight.

W2ttsy

[dazz]

well ive been travelling several times interstate, and virgin has done a much better job than jetstar.

Glad to hear I made the right choice. 3 of us are flying to Hobart (from Melb) for the race at the end of Oct. I looked into going with Jetstar as well as Virgin Blue & from the info on their sites about travelling with bikes (all sporting equipment really) Virgin Blue shit all over Jetstar.

Go here on the Virgin site, really usefull info. Other airlines have similar info available - make sure you read up before you head to the airport, or better still, before you book your tickets, stuff like extra weight charges could be a nasty surprise if unexpected.

http://www.virginblue.com.au/helpInfo/travelInfo/atTheAirport/index.php?section=Baggage+Information (scroll down to the section on bikes)

[soapy]

not only did i tape my bike box up with as much tape as i could find (special attention to the corners ) i also gladwrapped the thing....when i came here to canada...

[miko]

I also vote that this be made a sticky!

I've travelled a few times nationally with the bike, but have never done as thorough a job with packing. I haven't had any dramas. Virgin is the go as far as taking it with you, up until recently, they didn't even require you to use a box! Last time I travelled they did though, I think it was 10 or 15 for the box. Then at the other end I took the bike out and couldn't fit the box into the car I was travelling in. Tried to leave the box behind and security wouldn't let me! Might be a bomb or something?

Anyway, great tips!

Sticky, sticky, sticky....

[Ryan]

I'll just weigh in on the Jetstar / Virgin Blue debate here. Of all the poor, unfortunate souls I spoke to who had paid money to fly up and ride the National round at Kooralbyn last year, I heard nothing but horror stories from people who flew on Jetstar and most of them surrounded the excess baggage fees they were charged for their bike / bikes, ranging from about $100 into the many hundreds of dollars in excess baggage charges.

One group even had the joy of being slugged for more in excess baggage charges than they had cash between them, so they headed off in search of an ATM, found it, got the cash and returned to the Jetstar counter only to be told that they were now outside the 30 minute cut-off time and had forfeited their tickets. Happy with that!

[johnny]

I think this thread is an excellent resource for those travelling and would be a good STICKY!